Prelude
A Preliminary Tale

Hermione regarded the stone gargoyle that watched over the entrance to the headmaster's domain with apprehension. She did not know why she had been pulled out of her Arithmancy class for a meeting with the headmaster. Her grades were exceptional as always, there had been no complaints about her as a prefect and she didn't have any outstanding library books. What could the headmaster want to talk to her about?

She took a deep breath and squared her shoulders. "Sugar quill"

The gargoyle jumped out of the way and she was greeted by the sight of a slowly turning spiral staircase. Cautiously, she stepped onto the stairs and let it carry her upwards. With a grin she decided that this must be the wizarding version of an escalator. When she finally stepped off the stairs at the top of the tower, she was facing a large wooden door with a brass knocker. She took another deep breath and knocked.

"Come in."

Hermione opened the door and stepped into a circular room, full of funny little clicking noises made by curious silver instruments whirring away on spindle legged tables. She thought she recognized a health-o-meter emitting small puffs of sickly yellow smoke and what looked to be a small incense burner modified for what purpose, she couldn't tell. The walls of the room were covered with portraits of old headmasters and headmistresses, all of whom appeared to be asleep but she could see them peering out from under nightcaps or half closed eyes. An enormous, claw-footed desk stacked high with books and papers stood adjacent to a large window through which warm afternoon sunlight spilled into the room.

"Over here Miss Granger."

She turned and saw the headmaster sitting in an armchair in front of a large empty fireplace. Across from him stood a low coffee table on which had been placed a tray of tea things and a chess set. Next to the table sat a worn leather case. Dumbledore gestured to the armchair on the other side of the table with his withered right hand. Trying not to stare, she walked over and sat down on the edge of the seat.

"Lemon drop, Miss Granger?" he asked pleasantly. "Or perhaps you would prefer some tea."

"Tea, please." She said and the teapot poured her a cup of tea. She picked up the cup and took a sip. Gunpowder green with mint, her favorite.

"I hear you once played tournament chess, Miss Granger." Dumbledore inquired. "I admit I have never played in a tournament before but would you indulge me in a game? Don't worry, it's a muggle set."

She blinked. It was doubtful that the headmaster had summoned her to his office just to play chess but she hadn't had a good game in awhile since she refused to play with wizarding pieces. "Alright. Would you like white or black, professor?"

"I think I shall take the black, Miss Granger." The board had already been set up with white pieces on her side and the black on the headmaster's. Hermione looked at the board and began thinking of a strategy. With a small hum, she made her first move.

"I don't mean to be rude, sir." She said as she reached for a pawn. "But could you tell me why I'm here? I haven't done anything wrong have I?"

Dumbledore smiled benevolently. "Of course not, Miss Granger, you are and have always been an exemplary student. No, I have called you here to discuss something much more serious."

He looked down at the board and a knight moved forward. "Tell me, Miss Granger, what do you think of Professor Snape?"

She glanced up at him, confused. "Professor Snape, sir?"

He nodded. "I know that you do not like to speak ill of your professors but I would like you to voice your opinions freely."

She was silent while she studied the board. Finally, she moved another pawn forward.

"Well, I'm not really sure sir. Professor Snape seems like such a hateful man. He's always taking points from Gryffindor for no particular reason and favors Slytherin horribly, sir. If I didn't know he wasn't a…" she glanced up at the portraits lining the walls. Dumbledore nodded for her to continue. "…a member of the Order, I wouldn't trust him at all. I mean, he must have a reason for the way he acts but honestly, I don't know him well enough to say."

Dumbledore studied her with something in his eyes that Hermione couldn't quite identify. After a minute, he seemed to come to a decision about something and moved a pawn. "So you will reserve judgment until you have all the facts?"

She nodded and moved a rook. "But it's highly unlikely I'll ever have all the facts, or even a few of them."

"Well, that is most excellent." His expression turned somber. "Now we come to the serious discussion. Miss Granger, I will be frank with you. Despite our best efforts, I do not expect to live much longer."

He raised his withered right hand as she opened her mouth to protest. "Do you have any idea what might have caused this injury?"

She shook her head. "Not really, sir. It looks like it's from a curse or something."

"That is correct. And it is, slowly but surely, spreading. Professor Snape has managed to delay it but sooner or later, it will kill me."

"But Madame Pomfrey or somebody at St. Mungo's must know something!" she cried.

"No, Miss Granger. There is nothing anyone can do. And that is why I must ask a favor of you." He moved a bishop forward.

She sat up straight and looked him in the eye. "What sort of favor, sir?" she asked, cautiously. She had a feeling she knew where this was heading.

"To continue as you have been doing, Miss Granger, reserve any judgment until you have all the facts.

"If what I fear comes to pass, then there will be people who will have need of your assistance in the near future. In what capacity, I cannot say. I can only ask that you pay careful attention to your surroundings, watch and listen carefully, garner as many facts as you can and continue to reserve judgment until this war has come to its conclusion. After the war, you must do all you can to make those facts known. Can you do this, Miss Granger?"

She shifted uneasily in her chair while she contemplated her move. Another pawn was sent forward. "I can do that. But why ask me? Why not ask someone else who's older and more experienced, like an Order member for instance?"

"Ah, that is a very good question, Miss Granger." Dumbledore leaned back in his chair. "One that has many answers. For now I can say only that I have set several plans in motion and some of them depend on keeping up appearances. Do you understand?"

She nodded. "I think so, sir."

"Good." He reached out and took one of her pawns, swapping it with a black one. He set hers next to the board. "Of course, I have some things that will assist you in your endeavor to discover all the facts."

He gestured to the leather case. Hermione picked it up and set it on her lap. The case was small, perhaps large enough to hold a pair of men's boots, and old. It had obviously seen quite a bit of the world. The metal corners were tarnished and dented and the leather was stained, the shoulder strap and handle looked as though a goat had chewed on them at some point. The gold AD monogram on the lid was peeling.

Curious she lifted the lid to find an odd assortment of items. The first was a small wooden box that looked quite new with a red cross painted on the top.

"The box is a sort of wizarding first aid kit if you will. It contains general healing potions, self tightening bandages and a booklet of first aid spells I think you will find most informative."

Next was a book bound in green leather. The cover bore no lettering but the title page read "Mind Reading: A Beginner's Guide to Occlumency and Legilimency" by Adolfo Gloop. The corner of one of the pages at the middle of the book had been folded inwards. She opened to book to the folded page.

"That is a very special book, Miss Granger. Firstly, it is a guide to occlumency, which you will need to study. I know that you will do quite well on your own and that will be enough to begin with. However, it is also something else, something very important."

He took the book from her hands and laid a small piece of parchment on top of the page with the folded corner. He closed the book and said "Envie."

When he opened the book again, the parchment was gone. "This book has a twin. The enchantments on this pair of books enable the owners to send and receive letters placed between these pages."

"Who has the other book?" she asked.

"I'm afraid that I cannot tell you at this time. However it is likely that you will find out sooner rather than later so I can only say that you should check the pages periodically after you leave Hogwarts for the summer. I will make the decision to disclose the identity of the other owner up to you."

The last object was a small black velvet draw string bag. She opened the bag and a time turner spilled out on to her palm.

"I trust you know what that is, Miss Granger, as well as the restrictions surrounding its use?"

She nodded, wide eyed. When she turned in her time turner after the end of third year, she didn't think she would ever see it again. It seemed she'd been wrong. Hermione wondered what Dumbledore was expecting her to use this for.

"Then I believe you also know when it will be appropriate to use it." He gestured to the case again. "I suggest you keep all three items in the case in addition to anything else you feel you might need in an emergency. The inside will expand to hold whatever you ask of it. I have used it frequently on my travels in the past. I think it will be happy to be out in the world again. Shrink the case and keep it with you at all times. That is very important Miss Granger."

She nodded again before doing as Dumbledore asked. As she slipped the shrunken case into her pocket, Dumbledore glanced at his watch.

"Now my dear, I believe Mr. Potter and Mr. Weasley are waiting for your return from the library in your common room. You'd best not keep them waiting."

Hermione nodded in understanding as she stood and picked up her book bag. "Thank you for…well, everything, professor. I'm sorry we didn't get to finish our game."

With a smile, he accompanied her to the door and held it open for her as she left. "It's quite all right Miss Granger."

Author's Notes:

I'm currently in the process of writing another HG/SS fic, tentatively titled "When the Lion Loved the Snake (WLLS) that will be posted once it is complete. This one-shot explains a few things that will not be covered in WLLS due to the style of writing. If anyone is interested in beta reading either this or WLLS, please email me, I'm in desperate need of a beta reader for both these stories.

Gunpowder green with mint – Gunpowder green tea has been found to contain fluoride which is used to prevent cavities. Three strong cups a day will keep cavities at bay but apparently won't prevent your teeth from turning black. I thought it would be appropriate that instead of drinking black tea like most Europeans, the Grangers would prefer green.

A book bound in green leather – the book will play a starring role in the fic this one is a prelude to.

Adolfo Gloop – related to Augustus Gloop perhaps? I'm totally in love with Charlie and the Chocolate Factory at the moment.

Envie – from the Spanish verb enviar, to send.